You Put Your Arms Around Me
by valerieeee
Summary: Shelby Corcoran wasn't ready for a teenage daughter. So when she's left to care for a grieving Rachel she'll turn to anyone for help. Hints of Pezberry.


So I've decided to spend my summer re-watching Glee, I call it reacquainting myself with my favorite show. Either way thank Buddha, Allah, and Satan for Hulu and Netflix. haha either way by watching everything again I've know got tons of ideas rolling around my head. Here's one of those ideas. I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>"Are you ready for a teenage daughter?" Shelby asked herself, echoing Will Schuester's earlier words. Well ready or not, Shelby's guest room was now the sole residence of one Rachel Berry, an emotionally distraught, more dramatically inclined than the entire Vocal Adrenaline cast combined, teenage girl. Her teenage girl, Shelby corrected. Rachel Berry was all hers, Shelby paled slightly as she remembered just how her not so little girl had come into her care.<p>

She'd gotten a frantic phone call from Will Schuester of all people, at 7 AM a week ago today. She'd considered ignoring the call, because 1 it was from Will Schuester and she had nothing to do with the man anymore for Rachel's good and her own, and 2 it was 7 AM on a Saturday and she'd be damned if she let Will Schuester deny her three more precious hours of sleep. Either way Shelby had answered the phone, his voice frantic. Will's desperate words still echoed in her mind now, "I didn't know who else to call."

Shelby had thrown on her clothes from yesterday; no sense in wasting time looking for a new outfit, then shoved her feet into yesterday's black pumps before running to her car her normally faultless locks streaming out behind her. Shelby's heels were the only sound in the terminal at Dayton International Airport. The only sound that was, until she rounded the corner.

The woman's steps had slowed, faltered as she took in the scene in front of her. The glee club members were standing protectively around Rachel, they were all touching the sobbing girl in some way, be it a hand stroking her hair, or another rubbing her knee. Most surprising were the arms of the group's sole Latina. The girl had Rachel sitting in her lap and her arms were tight around Rachel's waist as Rachel sobbed into her shoulder.

Shelby ignored her heart pounding in her ears and took off towards her baby at a run. The crowd parted quickly as the Latina nudged Rachel. Rachel stood almost instantly then took three hesitant steps to her mother before Shelby caught her up in her arms. Shelby her daughter tight tears streaming down her own cheeks now, "I'm here baby, everything's okay, Mommy's here."

Shelby dried her eyes as Rachel's sobs subsided then met the Latina's suddenly harsh gaze. "Don't fuck this up" The girl's unspoken words were completely clear to Shelby. Shelby nodded then turned and walked hand in hand with her daughter back to the car.

The news about the Berry men had come first in whispers of hate crimes then full out waves of police reports and headlining news reports. Shelby shuddered through the reports with Rachel in her arms as the familiar news anchors spoke. The Berry men had been brutally attacked on their trip to Lake Erie, local police had found in their beach house the charred remains of the men. They'd both been beaten and then shot. 4 men had been arrested for their murders; they'd been led away still screaming anti-gay insults into the cameras. That day had ended Rachel's and Shelby's lives as they had known them.

Rachel had locked herself into her room shortly after the funeral. It had been 4 days since the Shelby saw the room's door open. If not for the yelling and loud sobbing that came from the room the first 3 days Shelby would have thought that her daughter too was gone. Now, as the fourth day was coming to a close Rachel's sobs mounted, the girl's sore pain filled was screaming now, each gut wrenching scream brought Shelby closer to Rachel's room until the woman slid to the floor next to her daughter's room. She knew it was pointless to knock; the teen wouldn't answer much less open the door. She'd expressed her want to be alone loud and clear on the preceding days. Shelby sat with her head in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. She'd never felt so completely and utterly helpless, her little girl was hurting and she had no idea how to help her.

The sound of someone walking towards her caused Shelby to look up, the leggy brunette who had been holding Rachel at the airport stared silently down at Shelby. She waited until Shelby stood then hugged the woman, "Go take care of yourself, you look like hell. I'll take care of her." The girl's crude but caring words set Shelby into action.

The girl didn't even wait for Shelby to leave before she picked Rachel's lock with a bobby pin. She effortlessly ducked the shoe Rachel threw at her head then waited silently until Rachel realized it was her standing in the doorway and not Shelby.

Rachel's voice was softer than Shelby had ever heard it, it sounded so weak and broken that Shelby could feel her heart break with each of her daughter's words. "Santana, will you sleep in here with me tonight?"

Santana slipped her shoes off as she went then climbed into bed and under the covers that Rachel was holding up.

Just when Shelby thought that Santana too had fallen asleep and moved to take the tea she'd made for the girl back into the kitchen, the Latina came treading quietly into the living room.

Shelby watched as Santana silently took the cup and sipped before she spoke, "I thought you were taking care of her."

"What's it to you?" Shelby spat back. She was finding herself more than put out about this teen.

Santana sighed taking a moment to collect herself before speaking, "Don't you get it? Rachel's all I have, and I trusted you to take care of her! Instead I haven't seen her in school in almost a week; she isn't answering her phone, hell your home phone goes straight to voicemail. I've been worried sick! Do you know how many people I had to personally threaten before I got the school to give up your address? God Shelby," Santana's voice broke then, the normally strong willed girl sat slumped over for a moment, "I thought I'd lost her too."

Shelby's arms were around the sobbing girl's thin shoulders before she realized she'd moved.

"Santana, I feel like I'm missing out on something huge here."

Santana wiped her eyes and straightened up, "Rachel and I, we're together, like romantically. She's my girlfriend."

Well Shelby hadn't expected that, before the older woman could respond to that particular revelation Santana continued, "And I was living with Leroy and Hiram too, my dad kicked me out when I came out." Santana brushed her cheeks dry and added by way of explanation, "He's really conservative."

"Okay, so where are you living now? Leroy's parents sold the house a few days ago." Shelby reached out to stroke the Latina's soft hair. She comforted the girl the same way she'd comfort her on daughter.

Santana sighed, "With my aunt and her wife, they're staying in Dayton while they consult at Dayton Children's Hospital."

"But that's an hour and a half drive."

"Yup, sure is. I make it twice a day." Santana replied.

"Santí you shouldn't, especially not now." Silence reigned supreme as Rachel walked into the room. The frail looking girl tugged the WMHS Cheer t-shirt over her pale thighs then settled into Santana's lap, "It's been snowing all week."

Santana shrugged as she cuddled Rachel close, "You make it all worth it baby, besides Tía Callie lets me use her Grand Cherokee, that thing's made for winters in Seattle, so I'm fine, no te preocupes."

Shelby watched on as the two girls stared at each other, they seemed to be silently communicating with each glance, their foreheads rested against each other then they kissed briefly before Santana turned Rachel's head then cleared her throat pointedly.

Rachel sighed; she obviously didn't want to do what the Latina wanted. Shelby smirked as Santana lifted Rachel and set her down right next to her mother, "Talk amongst yourselves, I'll make dinner."

Shelby only spoke when Santana left the room, "Well she is something."

Rachel rolled her eyes, a habit she'd no doubt picked up from the fiery Latina, "If by something you mean a pain in my ass,"

Santana cleared her throat loudly making Rachel add quickly, "Who I love more than all the Tony's in the world."

Santana and Shelby laughed loudly. Shelby smiled as she looked at her daughter's blushing cheeks. It felt good to laugh, to joke, hell it was great to just see her daughter doing something other than crying or screaming. To be completely honest Shelby could still see the sadness in Rachel's eyes, it was still there, but it was clouded over with joy, Rachel's eyes actually lit up when Santana yelled from the kitchen, _"Quieres asopao o fajitas mi amor?"_

Rachel glanced outside at the thick falling snow before replying, "Soup please."

"Okay, but you're never actually going to learn Spanish if you refuse to speak it." Santana called.

"You're speaking English right now!" Rachel shot back.

"Okay but, I'm not the one failing Spanish." Santana laughed evilly then yelled, "_Ademas de soy Puertorriqueña no necesito aprender Español. Estoy solamente tomando la clase a ayudar ti_"

"What?" Rachel asked completely confused.

Santana laughed louder barely able to control herself, "Exactly."

Shelby laughed out right at the girls' rapport, "Are you two always like this?"

Rachel nodded, "Pretty much. It's why we work, she stops me from being a total diva and I stop her from being a total bitch. We balance each other out." As the silence settled back in, only punctuated by first the sound of various pots and plates banging then the sound of the Latina whistling, Rachel began to comb her knotted hair out with her fingers, she hadn't actually combed it in about a week so she kept hitting snags.

Shelby hesitated then moved Rachel's hands, "Go get me a brush."

When Rachel returned Shelby motioned for her to sit on the floor between her mother's legs. Shelby brushed slowly; she was used to taming her own hair so Rachel's was a breeze.

Shelby brushed Rachel's hair out slowly and began to speak her voice soft and soothing.

"You know, when I was about 8 my Mom sent me to stay with my Dad for the summer, they were divorced, they got back together a year ago though, anyway, she sent me to stay with Dad. Dad lived on this huge farm in Texas and he basically took one look at the loud, over-exuberant, and highly theatrical 8 year old me then let me loose. For three months I ran wild on that farm. I slept outside in the fields with the _rancheros _under the stars with the cattle all around me, and on nights when it rained I slept in the cabins with the _campesinos_. I was free to do whatever I wanted that summer, I was also free to not do anything I didn't want to. Needless to say when I got off that plane at the end of the summer my Mom was furious. She was convinced that I was wearing the same dress she'd dropped me off in, or what was left of it, and that I hadn't combed my hair the entire time I'd been gone. And for the most part she was right. I'd washed my hair when I remembered to; I just forgot to unbraid it first. So the two waist long braids she'd sent me off with, I'd returned with, except they were just at my knee and full of God knows what. She tried to unbraid those braids for hours on end with both of us crying out in pure anguish. The neighbors clear down the street finally came up and told her that the only option she had was to cut them off. I started school the next day with the first bob that Lima had ever seen."

"A whole summer?" Rachel exclaimed disbelievingly, "Eww Mom, goodness your hair must have been disgusting."

"Yeah I try not to think of what was probably living in it." Shelby said with a wink. Shelby deftly braided Rachel's now smooth hair into a fishtail braid that she set over Rachel's shoulder. Rachel watched as her mother curled the end of the braid right under the ponytail holder around her finger so that it fell in a smooth ringlet instead of sticking out at odd angles. "Secret to a perfect braid oh daughter of mine. It's all in the finish."

Shelby stood then helped Rachel stand, "Good now let's see what that woman of yours has cooked up."

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><p>So what did you think? I'm contemplating either leaving it as just a one shot. Or writing a sequel where I explore all of the budding relationships in this fic. Any ideas?<p>

xoxo

Valerieeee

ps: I should probably translate the Spanish in here huh? um lets see:

_Quieres asopao o fajitas mi amor: _Do you want soup or fajitas my love?

_Ademas de soy Puertorriqueña no necesito aprender Español. Estoy solamente tomando la clase a ayudar ti_": Besides, I'm Puerto Rican I don't need to learn Spanish. I'm only taking the class to help you.

pps: fun fact Naya Rivera is totally of Puerto Rican heritage, not Mexican, that's why fics that have her going up against Mexican stereotypes totally annoy me, do your research people, besides Puerto Ricans totally face a shit ton of discrimination too Mexicans aren't the only hated on group. Also I'm half Puerto Rican, so yeah that's my national pride showing...stepping off my pedestal now. Review?


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